Research Findings and Issues for Implementation,

Policy and Scaling Up:Training & Supporting Personnel

and Program Wide Implementation

www.challengingbehavior.org

Mary Louise HemmeterVanderbilt University

Higher Ed Survey

2- and 4- year faculty reported addressing the needs of children with ongoing

challenging behavior - least prepared designing environments/prevention practices -

most prepared

4-year faculty reported their graduates to be significantly more prepared then 2-year faculty reported their graduates to be

4-year programs that had a special ed component reported their graduates to be more prepared than programs without a sped component.

Primary barrier - “not enough room in program” and access to “practicum sites”

Early Childhood Teacher Survey

Of 10 topics, challenging behavior was the highest identified training need with social emotional development second

86% reported challenging behavior to be a training need

80% indicated that addressing challenging behavior negatively affects their job satisfaction

13% of respondents indicated a child had been asked to leave their program in the last 12 months because of behavior issues

Results

37% do not have access to behavior/mental health support person When support is available, 85% report it

to be effective

Resources/supports used Request someone to come to class in

crisis Send child out of classroom

Child Care Teacher Interviews

Results 10-42% of children in their classrooms

have challenging behavior Most common support is someone

removing child from their room Teachers are generally not aware of

program policies and procedures related to behavior

Director Interviews

Director Results Policies and procedures are in place but may not

be well implemented or communicated Do not feel teachers are effective in

implementing prevention/promotion practices More training was the most frequently reported

need by directors for addressing challenging behavior

Directors who were using a program wide approach were more likely to report that effective practices were being implemented

Training and TA Providers

87 providers in 9 states

Do not feel prepared to support teachers around children with the most challenging behaviors and working with families

Only 13% reported that organizational supports are in place

Summary

Challenging behavior is a high priority training need Preservice Inservice

Focus is on “more training”Behavior supports most likely to be used (removing child from class or adult coming to help in crisis) are not likely to lead to behavior change in children or increased competency in staffThere is little evidence of a systematic approach to behavior support within early childhood settings

Creating Supportive EnvironmentsCreating Supportive Environments

Positive Relationships with Children, Families, Positive Relationships with Children, Families, and Colleaguesand Colleagues

Social Emotional Social Emotional Teaching StrategiesTeaching Strategies

Individualized Individualized InterventionsInterventions

Program Wide Adoption

Teacher Training/Implementation

Administrative Supports

Program Philosophy Well defined procedures

Data Based Decision Making

Partnerships

with Families

• Range of service delivery systems• Training and expertise of teachers• Program philosophy, curriculum practices• Age and developmental level of children• Many early childhood programs do not have

expertise in behavior support or resources to access this expertise

• Lack of policies and procedures in place related to behavior support and guidance

• Lack of systematic measure of effects

Issues to Consider when Implementing Program Wide in EC Settings

10

The Teaching Pyramid: Promoting Social and Emotional Competence within Early Education and Child

Care Environments

Supportive Environments

Building Positive RelationshipsBuilding Positive Relationshipswith Children and Familieswith Children and Families

Social and Emotional Social and Emotional Teaching StrategiesTeaching Strategies

IndividualizeIndividualized d

InterventionInterventionss

Children At-Risk

Children with persistent challenges

High quality early education

Social Skills Curricula

Positive Behavior Support

All Children

Critical Elements of a Program Wide Model in EC Programs

• Administrative buy-in and commitment• Buy-in from staff• Family involvement and buy-in• Developmentally appropriate and clearly

articulated expectations for children’s social behavior

• Intentional strategies for teaching social skills, supporting emotional competence, and acknowledging children’s behavior

Critical Elements of a Program Wide Model in EC Programs

Strategies for addressing problem behavior

Team based, individualized approach for addressing ongoing problem behavior

Ongoing professional development

Strategies for supporting teachers

Process for monitoring outcomes

Preliminary Outcomes

Improved staff satisfactionDecreased turnoverIncrease in overall program qualityClearly articulated and implemented policies and proceduresMore intentional teaching and purposeful approaches to supporting emotional developmentElimination of “time-out”Less reliance on “outside”expertsStronger collaboration with mental health providers

What Makes it Work?

A champion

Administrative leadership

Ongoing support for those working directly with children and families

Clearly articulated policies and procedures related to behavior

Commitment to long term process - systems change

Collaboration between ECE and mental health/behavior consultants